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A new era in the exploration of the universe
has begun. In 1995, after decades of intense scientific
investigation, planet hunters discovered the first alien
solar system around a star like our own Sun. Since then,
armed with new insight and technology, astronomers have
been discovering planets at an exhilarating pace. Every
day seems to bring us closer to finding an Earthlike planet,
perhaps harboring life, and the resolution of the grandest
human mystery of all: Are we alone?
Now astronomer and internationally acclaimed
author Ken Croswell has written the definitive guide to
the culmination of the scientific revolution that began
with Copernicus. Weaver together the personal travails of
the scientists who made the key discoveries, Croswell marshals
extensive research and interviews to bring to life this
epic of scientific adventure -- in language so clear that
anyone can understand. He succinctly defines the essential
features of our own solar system, then recounts the stories
of the discovery of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and the search
for the mysterious Planet X. From there we leap with him
beyond our solar system's edge, following the pioneers of
science in their quest for planets around other stars.
In the decades preceding ours, disappointment
and frustration reigned among astronomers, as claims of
discovery based on necessarily infinitesimal measurements
were made only to be disproved and cast back into the void
of obscurity. But planets recently found orbiting a dead
star known as a pulsar heralded the new era of planetary
exploration that Planet Quest opens the door on with
the 1995 discovery of a Jupiter-sized planet circling 51
Pegasi, a star virtually identical to the Sun. The discover
of this planet was quickly followed by another, found quietly
wending its way around the star 47 Ursae Majoris, and within
two years we reached a grand total of seven known alien
solar systems in the universe. Another system, yet to be
confirmed, lies a mere eight light years from Earth. Thus,
in just a few frenetic years, humankind advanced from not
knowing if there were any planets around other stars to
sighting more than half a dozen outposts of the final frontier.
For the first time, as Croswell lucidly
explains, we have demonstrated that the universe at large
does in fact possess the four basic astronomical ingredients
for life. Moreover, he shows how new space-based and technologically
advanced observatories could provide direct detailed images
of our new neighbours. Perhaps someone, or something, will
be waving back.
Ken Croswell, Harvard-trained astronomer,
is the author of the internationally successful The
Alchemy of the Heavens, which was nominated for a Los
Angeles Times Book Prize. He contributes to Astronomy,
Sky & Telescope, New Scientist, and The
New York Times as well as the radio program StarDate,
which airs on 200 stations. He lives in Berkeley, California.
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